Marines trained on 'don't ask, don't tell' policy

'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL'

Elliot Spagat, Associated Press

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, April 28, 2011

Photo: Lenny Ignelzi, AP

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United States Marines attend a training session to familiarize them with the military's new position regarding gay and lesbian service members and the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy Thursday, April 28, 2011 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. less

United States Marines attend a training session to familiarize them with the military's new position regarding gay and lesbian service members and the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy Thursday, ... more

He explained that the impending repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is an order, one heard by generals and rank-and-file alike as the military tries to change the culture of a traditionally conservative institution.

Only a few of the roughly 150 Marines stepped up to ask questions.

One stood up from a back row and demanded to know why his religious beliefs were being "put aside" in favor of gays, forcing him to "basically grit my teeth and bear it."

All branches trained

Classes like Thursday's for the Combat Logistics Regiment 17 of the 1st Marine Logistics Group are being held at military bases around the world. The Marines expect to finish training by June 1, with all military branches done by summer's end.

The repeal of the 17-year "don't ask, don't tell" policy would go into effect 60 days after the president, defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that lifting the ban won't hurt the military's ability to fight.

Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, testified last year that permitting gays to openly serve could disrupt smaller combat units and distract leaders from preparing for battle.

When he appeared this month before the House Armed Services Committee, he said he had been looking for problems that might arise under the new policy and hadn't found any "recalcitrant pushback."

"There has not been the anxiety over it from the forces in the field," he said.

In small group discussions, Marines are being asked to consider their reactions to a wide range of scenarios, from seeing a member "hanging around" a gay bar to hearing locker-room jokes from others who refuse to shower in front of gays.

There is nothing wrong with "hanging around" a gay bar, the training materials state.

The officer who witnesses the loud locker-room banter aimed at gays and lesbians should remind the Marines any discrimination or harassment is inappropriate.

If a Marine spots two men in his battalion kissing off-duty at a shopping mall, he should react as if he were seeing a man and woman, according to the training materials.

Free expression

If he turns on the television news to see a fellow Marine dressed as a civilian and marching in a parade with a banner that reads, "Support Gays and Lesbians in the Military!" he should accept it as a right of free expression.

A top-notch Marine recruiter opposed to the new policy cannot refuse a promising applicant because of sexual orientation. The recruiter might be considered for another assignment or, at the Navy secretary's discretion, might be granted early discharge.

Chaplains who preach at base chapels that homosexuality is a sin are entitled to express their beliefs during worship.